tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:/xml/corals1corals news from mongabay.com2015-03-09T15:09:24Ztag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/144672015-03-09T15:06:00Z2015-03-09T15:09:24ZHuman impacts are 'decoupling' coral reef ecosystems<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/15/IMG_9120.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>There is a growing consensus among scientists that we have entered the age of the Anthropocene, or the epoch of humans. In other words, at some point between the 12,000 years separating the beginning of agriculture and the Industrial Revolution, humans became the dominant source of change on the planet, shaping everything from the land to the atmosphere to even the geologic record where we etch our reign. Jeremy Hance5.878344-162.077018tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/136352014-08-06T14:08:00Z2014-08-06T14:14:22ZElephants under the sea: awkward-looking fish modify the coral-reef ecosystem in mixed ways<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0805.bumphead_Photo-credit-Kurt-Gross.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Bumphead parrotfish are noisy feeders. They break off large branches of corals using their powerful beaks, grind them up in their bodies to extract nutrients, and expel the undigested material in large cloudy plumes of feces. Their voracious feeding is, however, not just a loud, messy affair. During the course of their feeding, they also change the coral reef ecosystem in numerous ways.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/135472014-07-16T15:18:00Z2014-07-18T15:21:31ZFishing for coherent regulations along Fiji's coral reefs<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/14/0716-west-parrotfish150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Will Fiji implement a much-needed update to its fisheries laws before the September election? If you want to quiet a room in Fiji or feel like a lobster in a boiling pot, bring up coastal fishing rights, and ask what's happening with the plan to update the country's fisheries laws. Tiffany Roufs-17.677202179.373661tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/132022014-05-09T18:49:00Z2014-05-09T18:57:15ZCoral could prevent HIV: newly discovered protein blocks infection<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/14/0509-soft-coral-thumb.jpeg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In the waters off the coast of northern Australia lives a species of feathery coral. Years ago, bits of it were collected by the Australian Institute of Marine Science and stored at the National Cancer Institute’s extract repository, along with 200,000 other samples. Researchers retrieved and tested this coral sample, and recently reported that it was very effective at blocking HIV infection of host cells.Morgan Erickson-Davis-19.695892146.552806tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/128262014-02-25T23:12:00Z2014-02-27T08:25:24ZCorals thriving despite acidified conditions in remote Pacific bay<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0225palau150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Scientists have discovered a small island bay in the Pacific which could serve as a peephole into the future of the ocean. Palau's Rock Island Bay harbors a naturally occurring anomaly – its water is acidified as much as scientists expect the entire ocean to be by 2100 as a result of rising carbon dioxide emissions. Rhett Butler7.233333134.3tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/125592013-12-20T19:26:00Z2013-12-20T19:49:45ZScientists discover a new coral in the French Polynesia<table align="left"><tr><td><img src=" http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/1218coral150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>With humans scattered throughout the globe, it is hard to imagine lands still unexplored or species undocumented. Yet, on the remote French Polynesian Gambier Islands a new coral reef species has been found thriving in underwater lagoons. <i>Echinophyllia tarae</i> was discovered by marine biologist Francesca Benzoni and the research crew members of the Tara Oceans International Research Expedition.Tiffany Roufs-17.817993-149.473343tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/120742013-09-13T02:34:00Z2013-09-13T03:52:20ZMesoamerican Reef needs more local support, says report<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.com/images/yucatan/thumbnails/web/PICT0008.JPG" align="left"/></td></tr></table>From massive hotel development through the agriculture industry, humans are destroying the second largest barrier reef in the world: the Mesoamerican Reef. Although global climate change and its effects on reefs via warming and acidification of coastal waters have made recent headlines, local human activities may destroy certain ecosystems before climate change has a chance to do it. The harmful effects of mining, agriculture, commercial development, and fishing in coastal regions have already damaged more than two-thirds of reefs across the Caribbean, in addition to worsening the negative effects of climate change.Rhett Butler17.579721-88.067635tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/120132013-09-04T17:03:00Z2013-09-04T17:14:04ZFinding a needle in a haystack: two new species of octocorals discovered in the Pacific Ocean<table align="left"><tr><td><img src=" http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/0804polyps150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The vast expanse of the Earth's oceans makes finding a new species like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, finding a needle in a haystack may be easier than finding a new species of octocoral in the Pacific Ocean. But Gary Williams with the California Academy of Sciences has recently found not only one but two new species, including a new genus of octocoral.Tiffany Roufs37.818192-122.46397tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/119472013-08-20T20:58:00Z2013-08-20T21:06:16ZGoogle Earth presents fish-eye view of coral reefsYou can now visit up-close and personal some of the world's most imperiled ecosystems on Google Earth: coral reefs. The Google team is working with scientists to provide 360 degree panoramas, similar to Google street-view, to give armchair ecologists a chance to experience the most biodiverse ecosystems under the waves. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/112392013-04-15T19:55:00Z2013-04-15T20:01:33ZDouble bad: Chinese vessel that collided with protected coral reef holding 22,000 pounds of pangolin meatWhat do you do when you're smuggling 22,000 pounds of an endangered species on your boat? Answer: crash into a protected coral reef in the Philippines. Last Monday a Chinese vessel slammed into a coral reef in the Tubbataha National Marine Park; on Saturday the Filipino coastguard discovered 400 boxes of pangolin meat while inspecting the ship. Pangolins, which are scaly insect-eating mammals, have been decimated by the illegal wildlife trade as their scales are prized in Chinese Traditional Medicine and their meat is considered a delicacy. Jeremy Hance8.515836120.419311tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/107622013-01-24T19:51:00Z2013-01-27T14:36:48ZTyphoon Bopha decimated coral reefs<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0124.coral.ESI.IMGP1094.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>When Typhoon Bopha, also known as Pablo, ran ashore on Mindanao, it was the largest tropical storm it ever hit the Philippine island. In its wake the massive superstorm left over 1,000 people were dead and 6.2 million affected with officials saying illegal logging and mining worsened the scale of the disaster. However, the Category 5 typhoon also left a trail of destruction that has been less reported: coral reefs. Jeremy Hance7.634776126.088257tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/103692012-11-07T13:43:00Z2012-11-07T14:08:06ZThreatened Galapagos coral may predict the future of reefs worldwide<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/galapagos.expedition.diver.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The Galapagos Islands have been famous for a century and a half, but
even Charles Darwin thought the archipelago’s list of living wonders
didn’t include coral reefs. It took until the 1970s before scientists
realized the islands did in fact have coral, but in 1983, the year the
first major report on Galapagos reef formation was published, they
were almost obliterated by El Niño. This summer, a major coral survey
found that some of the islands’ coral communities are showing
promising signs of recovery. Their struggle to survive may tell us
what is in store for the rest of the world, where almost
three-quarters of corals are predicted to suffer long-term damage by
2030.Jeremy Hance-0.499872-90.621643tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/102242012-10-01T19:28:00Z2015-02-08T23:28:23ZGreat Barrier Reef loses half its coral in less than 30 years<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/48198.crownofthornsstarfish.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover in the last 27 years, according to a new study released today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Based on over 2,000 surveys from 1985 to this year the study links the alarming loss to three impacts: tropical cyclone damage, outbreaks crown-of-thorns starfish that devour corals, and coral bleaching.Jeremy Hance-17.947381148.621216tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/101892012-09-24T21:21:00Z2015-02-08T23:28:09ZCoral diversity off Madagascar among the world's highest<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/ci_59945131_cropped.CORAL.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The western Indian Ocean, especially the waters between Madagascar and mainland Africa, may be among the world's most biodiverse for coral species, according to a new study in PLOS ONE. Conducting dive surveys in the region for nearly a decade, David Obura with the Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) identified 369 coral species in the western Indian Ocean and predicts there may be nearly another 100 unidentified. If so, this would make the region as biodiverse as the Great Barrier Reef, but still behind the Coral Triangle which has over 600 species. Jeremy Hance-14.09395743.410644tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/101202012-09-11T19:15:00Z2012-09-11T19:49:45ZCoral reefs in Caribbean on life supportOnly 8 percent of the Caribbean's reefs today retain coral, according to a new report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). With input and data from 36 scientists, the report paints a bleak picture of coral decline across the region, threatening fisheries, tourism, and marine life in general. Jeremy Hance19.062118-75.329591tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/100822012-09-04T16:47:00Z2012-09-04T17:04:05ZCoral calcification rates fall 44% on Australia's Great Barrier ReefCalcification rates by reef-building coral communities on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have slowed by nearly half over the past 40 years, a sign that the world's coral reefs are facing a grave range of threats, reports a new study published in the <i>Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences</i>.Rhett Butler-23.3030152.0530tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/98432012-07-16T14:47:00Z2015-02-08T23:09:17ZStrangest island in the Caribbean may be a sanctuary for critically endangered coral<table align="left"><tr><td><img src=" http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Williams1.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Don't feel bad if you‘ve never heard of Navassa Island, even though it's actually part of the U.S. according to the Guano Islands Act of 1856. This uninhabited speck between Haiti and Jamaica, barely bigger than New York City’s Central Park, has a bizarre and bloody history—and may be a crucial refuge for endangered coral in the Caribbean.Jeremy Hance18.405352-75.013547tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/98032012-07-10T13:41:00Z2012-07-10T14:07:38Z2,600 scientists: climate change killing the world's coral reefs<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/maui/150/maui_0938.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In an unprecedented show of concern, 2,600 (and rising) of the world's top marine scientists have released a Consensus Statement on Climate Change and Coral Reefs that raises alarm bells about the state of the world's reefs as they are pummeled by rising temperatures and ocean acidification, both caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The statement was released at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/96462012-06-11T13:32:00Z2015-02-08T22:52:52ZForgotten Species: the wonder-inducing giant clam<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Ardea-Licuanan-IMG_0468.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The first time I ever saw a giant clam was at a ride in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. My family and I piled into the Nautilus submersible at the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage and descended into the playtime depths. While we saw sea turtles, sharks, lobsters, mermaids, and even a sea monster, the creature that lingered in my mind most was the giant clam, raising and closing its pearly shell in the weedy abyss. Of course, none of these aquatic wonders were real&#8212;they were animatronics&#8212;but to a child with a vivid imagination they stirred within me the deep mystery of the boundless ocean, and none more so than that monstrous clam with its gaping maw. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/95632012-05-24T16:23:00Z2015-02-05T01:21:23ZNearly 2,000 fish species traded in U.S. tropical aquarium marketThe U.S. tropical aquarium market poses problems and opportunities for conservation, according to a landmark study published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE. The study reviewed import records in the U.S. for one year (2004-2005) and found that over 11 million wild tropical fish from 1,802 species were imported from 40 different countries. While the number of fish species targeted surprised researchers, the total amount of fish imported was actually less than expected. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/95112012-05-14T16:08:00Z2012-05-14T16:39:45ZEducating the next generation of conservation leaders in Colombia <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/guardians.Fieldtrip-to-the-reefs.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Colombia's northern departments of Cordoba and Bolivar are home to an abundance of coral reefs, estuaries, mangroves forests, and forests. Rich in both marine and terrestrial wildlife, local communities depend on the sea and land for survival, yet these ecosystems are imperiled by booming populations, overexploitation, and unsustainable management. Since 2007, an innovative education program in the region, the Guardians of Nature, has worked to teach local children about the ecology of the region, hoping to instill a conservation ethic that will aid both the present and the future. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/94372012-04-25T18:31:00Z2012-04-25T18:50:33ZCarnage in Komodo: world-famous reef destroyed by poachers' bombsIllegal fishermen have been utilizing homemade bombs to kill fish off the coast of Komodo Island, Indonesia, reports the Associated Press (AP); the bombs have not only injured fish populations in the protected area, but has also blasted biodiverse coral reefs popular with tourists. A scuba teacher told the AP that a section of Tatawa Besar coral reef, a popular diving spot, had been "blasted, ripped off, turned upside down."Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/92002012-03-05T13:04:00Z2015-02-05T00:57:56ZCarbon emissions paving way for mass extinction in oceansHuman emissions of carbon dioxide may be acidifying the oceans at a rate not seen in 300 million years, according to new research published in Science. The ground-breaking study, which measures for the first time the rate of current acidification compared with other occurrences going back 300 million years, warns that carbon emissions, unchecked, will likely lead to a mass extinction in the world's oceans. Acidification particularly threatens species dependent on calcium carbonate (a chemical compound that drops as the ocean acidifies) such as coral reefs, marine mollusks, and even some plankton. As these species vanish, thousands of others that depend on them are likely to follow. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/89982012-01-24T18:00:00Z2015-01-29T00:34:27ZAcid oceans: in some regions acidification a 'hundred times greater' than natural variationEmissions of carbon over the last two centuries have raised the acidity of the oceans to the highest levels in 21,000 years and likely beyond, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change. The change threatens a number of marine species, including coral reefs and molluscs.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/89592012-01-16T18:40:00Z2012-01-16T18:49:43ZPhotos: program devoted to world's strangest, most neglected animals celebrates five years<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Loris-tardigradus-tardigradus,-James-T.-Reardon-3172-ZSL.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>What do Attenborough's echidna, the bumblebee bat, and the purple frog have in common? They have all received conservation attention from a unique program by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) called EDGE. Five years old this week, the program focuses on the world's most unique and imperiled animal species or, as they put it, the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. In the past five years the program has achieved notable successes from confirming the existence of long unseen species (Attenborough's echidna) to taking the first photos and video of a number of targeted animals (the purple frog).Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/86642011-11-09T11:16:00Z2011-11-09T14:30:22ZResearchers challenge idea that marine reserves promote coral recovery<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/11/1109brain150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Fleshy whorls of thick brown algae blanket the once-vibrant corals in Glover’s Reef, Belize. According to a controversial study published August 14 in the journal Coral Reefs, a decade of marine reserve protection has failed to help these damaged Caribbean corals recover.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/86402011-11-03T21:00:00Z2015-01-29T00:09:27ZCoral reef biodiversity may be vastly underestimated<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/37640_web.crustacean.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Researchers with the Smithsonian have catalogued almost as many crab species on tropical coral reef bits measuring just 20.6 square feet (6.3 square meters) as in all of Europe's seas, finds a new paper in PLoS ONE. The team used DNA barcoding to quickly identify a total of 525 crustaceans (including 168 crab species) from dead coral chunks taken from seven sites in the tropics, including the Indian, Pacific and Caribbean oceans. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/80382011-06-20T16:26:00Z2015-01-28T23:35:15ZOcean prognosis: mass extinction <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/indonesia/150/sulawesi-bunaken_0084.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Multiple and converging human impacts on the world's oceans are putting marine species at risk of a mass extinction not seen for millions of years, according to a panel of oceanic experts. The bleak assessment finds that the world's oceans are in a significantly worse state than has been widely recognized, although past reports of this nature have hardly been uplifting. The panel, organized by the International Program on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), found that overfishing, pollution, and climate change are synergistically pummeling oceanic ecosystems in ways not seen during human history. Still, the scientists believe that there is time to turn things around if society recognizes the need to change. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/74772011-02-23T20:01:00Z2015-01-26T22:37:49ZCoral crisis: 75% of the world's coral reefs in danger<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.com/images/nancy/thumbnails/au104.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Marine scientists have been warning for years that coral reefs, the most biodiverse ecosystems in the ocean, are facing grave peril. But a new comprehensive analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI) along with twenty-five partners ups the ante, finding that 75% of the world's coral reefs are threatened by local and global impacts, including climate change. An updating of a 1996 report, the new analysis found that threats had increased on 30% of the world's reefs. Clearly conservation efforts during the past decade have failed to save reefs on a large-scale.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/73092011-01-18T23:35:00Z2011-01-19T01:19:13ZAustralia's floods threaten Great Barrier ReefThe floods ransacking the Queensland coast have cost 20 lives and $500 million worth of property damage. Now, huge volumes of water are pouring into the ocean, threatening the Great Barrier Reef, which extends for thousands of kilometers off the coast. Although it may take years to know the full consequences of the flooding, Australian scientists are already warning of serious damage. For now, the biggest problems are concentrated on the southern part of the reef, where three overflowing rivers—the Burdekin, the Fitzroy, and the Burnett—have released millions of gallons of heavily polluted water into the sea. So far, prevailing winds have confined the majority of the floodwaters to within 65 kilometers of shore. But in time, the damage may grow to affect the entire reef system. Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/72812011-01-11T05:12:00Z2011-01-13T15:23:24ZPhotos: Scientists race to protect world's most endangered coralsAs corals around the world disappear at alarming rates, scientists are racing to protect the ones they can. At a workshop led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the world's foremost coral experts met in response to a decade of unprecedented reef destruction to identify and develop conservation plans for the ten most critically endangered coral species.Morgan Erickson-Davistag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/72572011-01-05T01:47:00Z2011-01-06T01:18:29ZAtlantic ocean warming confirmed by coralsA new study investigating the ability of coral to record sea temperatures indicates that the Northwestern Atlantic has experienced unprecedented warming during the past 150 years.Morgan Erickson-Davistag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/70352010-11-10T21:45:00Z2015-01-26T21:24:56ZBeyond gloom: solutions to the global coral reef declineThe world's coral reefs are in trouble. Due to a variety of factors—including ocean acidification, warming temperatures from climate change, overfishing, and pollution—coral cover has decline by approximately 125,000 square kilometers in the past 50 or so years. This has caused some marine biologists, like Charlie Veron, Former Chief Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, to predict that coral reefs will be largely extinguished within a century. This year alone, large-scale coral bleaching events, whereby coral lose their symbiotic protozoa and become prone to disease and mortality, were seen off the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines, and some Caribbean islands. However a new paper in <i>Trends in Ecology and Evolution</i> attempts to dispel the gloom over coral reefs by pointing to strategies, and even some successes, to save them. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/70222010-11-08T20:31:00Z2015-01-26T21:25:07ZCarbon emissions hurting coral recruitment While research has shown that ocean acidification from rising CO2 levels in the ocean imperils the growth and survival mature coral reefs, a new study has found that it may also negatively impact burgeoning corals, by significantly lowering the success of coral recruitment. A study in <i>the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)</i> has found that coral recruitment could fall by 73% over the next century due to increasing acidification. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/68622010-10-04T21:38:00Z2015-01-26T21:15:09ZLosing nature's medicine cabinet<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/kenya/150/kenya_1079.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In all the discussions of saving the world's biodiversity from extinction, one point is often and surprisingly forgotten: the importance of the world's species in providing humankind with a multitude of life-saving medicines so far, as well as the certainty that more vital medications are out there if only we save the unheralded animals and plants that contain cures unknown. Already, species have provided humankind everything from quinine to aspirin, from morphine to numerous cancer and HIV-fighting drugs. "As the ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin commented, the history of medicine can be written in terms of its reliance on and utilization of natural products," physician Christopher Herndon told mongabay.com. Herndon is co-author of a recent paper in the journal Biotropica, which calls for policy-makers and the public to recognize how biodiversity underpins not only ecosystems, but medicine.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/68022010-09-23T15:15:00Z2010-09-23T15:19:36ZColossal coral bleaching kills up to 95 percent of corals in the PhilippinesIt is one of the most worrisome observations: fast massive death of coral reefs. A severe wide-scale bleaching occurred in the Philippines leaving 95 percent of the corals dead. The bleaching happened as the result of the 2009-2010 El Niño, with the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia waters experiencing significant thermal increase especially since the beginning of 2010.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/67602010-09-15T05:01:00Z2010-09-19T19:05:57ZAs a tiny island nation makes a big sacrifice, will the rest of the world follow suit?<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/10/0915anotetong150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Kiribati, a small nation consisting of 33 Pacific island atolls, is forecast to be among the first countries swamped by rising sea levels. Nevertheless, the country recently made an astounding commitment: it closed over 150,000 square miles of its territory to fishing, an activity that accounts for nearly half the government's tax revenue. What moved the tiny country to take this monumental action? President Anote Tong, says Kiribati is sending a message to the world: 'We need to make sacrifices to provide a future for our children and grandchildren.'Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/66832010-08-30T21:10:00Z2015-01-26T21:10:16ZCoral reef survival depends on the super small, an interview with Forest Rohwer<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/rohwer.thumb.jpg " align="left"/></td></tr></table>If you take a teaspoon and dip it into the ocean what will you have? Some drops of lifeless water? Only a few decades ago this is what scientists would have said, however, the development of increasingly powerful microscopes have shown us a world long unknown, which has vital importance for the survival of one of the world's most threatened and most treasured ecosystems: coral reefs. A single milliliter of water is now known to contain at least a million living microbes, i.e. organisms too small to see without a microscope. After discovering their super-abundant presence, researchers are now beginning to uncover how these incredibly tiny life-forms shape the fate of the world's coral reefs. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/66332010-08-16T21:56:00Z2010-08-16T22:00:02ZMassive coral bleaching in IndonesiaA large-scale bleaching event due to high ocean temperatures appears to be underway off the coast of Sumatra, an Indonesian island, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/66292010-08-15T19:06:00Z2015-01-26T21:09:21ZThe biology and conservation of declining coral reefs, an interview with Kristian Teleki<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Red_Hard_Branching_Coral_Credit_Chuck_Savall.thumb.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Coral reefs are often considered the "rainforests of the sea" because of their amazing biodiversity. In fact, coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. It is not unusual for a reef to have several hundred species of snails, sixty species of corals, and several hundred species of fish. While they comprise under 1% of the world’s ocean surface, one-quarter of all marine species call coral reefs their home. Fish, mollusks, sea stars, sea urchins, and more depend on this important ecosystem, and humans do too. Coral reefs supply important goods and services–from shoreline protection to tourism and fisheries–which by some estimates are worth $375 billion a year. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/65272010-07-22T10:53:00Z2010-07-22T11:02:55ZCoral reefs doomed by climate change<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.com/images/nancy/thumbnails/au104.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The world's coral reefs are in great danger from dual threats of rising temperatures and ocean acidification, Charlie Veron, Former Chief Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, told scientists attending the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation meeting in Sanur, Bali. Tracing the geological history of coral reefs over hundreds of millions of years, Veron said reefs lead a boom-and-bust existence, which appears to be correlated with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. With CO2 emissions rising sharply from human activities, reefs&#8212;which are home to perhaps a quarter of marine species and provide critical protection for coastlines&#8212;are poised for a 'bust' on a scale unlike anything seen in tens of millions of years.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/65212010-07-21T16:26:00Z2015-01-23T17:44:34ZAmazing reefs: how corals 'hear', an interview with Steve Simpson<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Damselfish_recruits_on_a_reef.thumb.jpg " align="left"/></td></tr></table>Corals aggregate to form vast reefs, which are home to numerous species and provide vital ecological services such as protecting shorelines. However, coral reefs are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to many factors, such as global warming and ocean acidification. Recent research by Simpson and his team of scientists has shown that corals, rather than drifting aimlessly after being released by their parent colonies and by chance landing back on reefs, instead find their way purposefully to reefs by detecting the sound of snapping shrimps and grunting fish on the reef. However, that discovery also means that the larvae might struggle to find reefs when human noises, like drilling or boats, mask the natural ocean sounds. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/60692010-05-10T20:21:00Z2015-01-21T23:54:24ZCollapsing biodiversity is a 'wake-up call for humanity' A joint report released today by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) finds that our natural support systems are on the verge of collapsing unless radical changes are made to preserve the world's biodiversity. Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ahmed Djoghlaf, called the bleak report "a wake-up call for humanity."Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/58552010-03-21T18:04:00Z2010-03-21T18:17:07ZCITES rejects monitoring of coral tradeAfter denying protection to polar bears, sharks, and the Critically Endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has today voted against additional protections for harvested coral species, according to <a href="http://www.traffic.org/">TRAFFIC</a>, a wildlife trade monitoring group. The joint US and EU measure would have put in place scientific and trade monitoring of over thirty species of red and pink coral in the Mediterranean and western Pacific.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/57792010-03-03T19:26:00Z2015-01-21T00:16:06ZHealthy coral reefs produce clouds and precipitation<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/10/0303mexico_reef_150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Twenty years of research has led Dr. Graham Jones of Australia's Southern Cross University to discover a startling connection between coral reefs and coastal precipitation. According to Jones, a substance produced by thriving coral reefs seed clouds leading to precipitation in a long-standing natural process that is coming under threat due to climate change. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/54352010-01-10T17:14:00Z2010-01-10T17:27:01ZIf protected coral reefs can recover from global warming damageA study in the Caribbean has found that coral reefs can recover from global warming impacts, such as coral bleaching, if protected from fishing. Marine biologists have long been worried that coral reefs affected by climate change may be beyond recovery, however the new study published in <i>PLoS ONE</i> shows that alleviating another threat, overfishing, may allow coral reefs to cope with climate change. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/54032010-01-03T17:05:00Z2010-03-16T23:16:46ZBridge development in Kalimantan threatens rainforest, mangroves, and coral reef <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Bornean_gibbon_by_Petr_Colasthumbnail.JPG" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Balikpapan Bay in East Kalimantan is home to an incredible variety of ecosystems: in the shallow bay waters endangered dugong feed on sea grasses and salt water crocodiles sleep; along the bay proboscis monkeys leap among mangroves thirty meters tall and Irrawaddy dolphins roam; beyond the mangroves lies the Sungai Wain Protection forest; here, the Sunda clouded leopard hunts, sun bears climb into the canopy searching for fruits and nuts, and a reintroduced population of orangutans makes their nests; but this wilderness, along with all of its myriad inhabitants, is threatened by a plan to build a bridge and road connecting the towns of Penajam and Balikpapan. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/52902009-12-15T00:51:00Z2015-01-20T23:39:49ZClimate change causing irreversible acidification in world's oceans<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.com/images/nancy/thumbnails/au104.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A new study from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity has synthesized over 300 reports on ocean acidification caused by climate change. The report finds that increasing acidification will lead to irreversible damage in the world's oceans, creating a less biodiverse marine environment. Released today the report determines that the threat to marine life by ocean acidification must be considered by policymakers at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/52892009-12-14T20:06:00Z2015-01-20T23:39:40ZPhotos: ten beloved species threatened by global warming<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/clownfish__thumb.jpg " align="left"/></td></tr></table>The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released a list of ten species that are likely to be among the hardest hit by climate change, including beloved species such as the leatherback sea turtle, the koala, the emperor penguin, the clownfish, and the beluga whale. The timing of the list coincides with the negotiations by world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference to come up with an international agreement to combat climate change. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/51082009-11-10T15:55:00Z2009-11-10T16:00:13ZCoral reef troubles indicate broader ecological problemsToday, many of our planet's natural areas are seriously threatened by human incursion, overexploitation and global warming: Less than a fifth of the world's original forest cover remains in unfragmented tracts, while just one-third of coastal mangroves survive to protect coastlines from storms and erosion. But none of these are declining as rapidly as coral reefs. By revealing what could be in store for other natural systems, reefs resemble the proverbial canary in a coal mine.
Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/48282009-08-12T00:02:00Z2009-08-12T00:09:05ZLoss of Great Barrier Reef due to global warming would cost Australia $37.7 billionA recent study reports that the loss of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef due to climate change poses a catastrophe not just for marine life, but would cost $37.7 billion during the next century.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/45532009-05-19T16:40:00Z2009-05-19T16:41:12ZSix nations pledge to protect the Coral TriangleLast Friday, six nations signed a pledge launching the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Malaysia each agreed to protect the Coral Triangle, a region spanning 1.6 billion acres, half the size of the US.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/45472009-05-16T21:37:00Z2009-09-06T14:58:11ZTropical storms may create seeds for reef restorationTropical reefs are easy to destroy and difficult to fix. It is estimated that global warming, unsustainable fishing, and pollution have already destroyed 20% of the world’s coral reefs. Recently, Virginia Garrison and Greg Ward of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) demonstrated how coral fragments that have broken loose during storms can be used to rebuild reefs. They reported their results in the October issue of <i>Biological Conservation</i>.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/45222009-04-30T16:46:00Z2009-05-04T14:45:39ZCoral reef loss in Caribbean leads to ongoing fish declines<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g94/troufs/NDryRocksFL2004-2.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Analyzing 48 surveys of Caribbean fish populations over fifty years, from 1955-2007, a new meta-study has found that fish populations in the famously clear waters began to drop in the mid-90s, leading to a consistent decline that hasn’t stopped. The study published in <i>Current Biology</i> discovered a region-wide decline of about 3-6 percent per year in three out of six trophic groups of fish, i.e. groupings of species categorized by their place on the food chain. The declines didn’t show major differences between species targeted by fishermen and those that are not, implying that overfishing isn’t the only cause of the decline in the Caribbean.Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/45112009-04-27T16:23:00Z2009-04-27T16:31:50ZNew protections for coral reefs and dwindling fish species in BelizeCoral reefs in Belize, considered to be some of the most pristine in the west, have secured additional protections. Rene Montero, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, signed a set of new laws this month to protect Belize’s coral reefs and the fish that inhabit them. The additional laws protect increasingly overfished species, ban spearfishing in marine reserves, and create no-take zones, according to a press release from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/43612009-03-09T18:14:00Z2009-03-09T18:18:08ZSeven new species of deep sea coral discoveredIn the depths of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which surrounds ten Hawaiian islands, scientists discovered seven new species of bamboo coral. Supported by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the discoveries are even more surprising in that six of the seven species may represent entirely new genus of coral.
Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/41762009-01-05T15:34:00Z2009-11-28T21:24:27ZIndonesian coral reef recovering after devastating tsunami and years of destructive fishing<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g94/troufs/Mongabay/Rubiah_Coral_Transplant_Site-1.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>On December 26th, 2004 an earthquake recorded at a magnitude of 9.3 in the Indian Ocean created a massive tsunami that struck nations across the region. Enormous waves took the lives of nearly 250,000 people while destroying cities and towns in minutes. The tsunami also caused extensive environmental damage, including reef systems along many coastal areas. Four years after the tsunami researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have returned to site of the disaster to survey the damaged reefs and work with local communities on preserving this important resource. After exploring sixty sites of coral reef off the coasts of Aceh, Indonesia, the scientists report that reefs damaged by the 2004 tsunami are on the path to recovery. Jeremy Hancetag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/41642009-01-01T22:13:00Z2009-01-02T02:04:06ZOcean acidification is killing the Great Barrier Reef<table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.com/images/nancy/thumbnails/au104.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Since 1990 the growth of coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef has slowed its lowest rate in at least 400 years as a result of warming waters and ocean acidification, report researchers writing in <i>Science</i>. The finding portends a bleak near-term future for the giant reef ecosystem as well as calcifying marine organisms around the world.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/33912008-10-22T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:15:34ZU.S. pledges $40M toward coral reef conservation.The U.S. government has pledged almost $40 million to protect biologically-rich coral reefs in Southeast Asia, according to the U.S. embassy in the Philippines.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/34502008-10-08T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:15:45Z52% of amphibians, 35% of birds at risk from climate change52 percent of the amphibians, 35 percent of birds and 71 percent of reef-building coral are "particularly susceptible" to climate change, warns an IUCN report.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31922008-08-27T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:50ZSaving oceans from acidification requires addressing climate policyOcean acidification driven by rising carbon dioxide emissions is a great threat to marine ecosystems and needs be addressed through climate policy and conservation measures, said top marine scientists meeting in Hawaii.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31032008-07-28T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:33ZClimate change will increase the erosion of coral reefsCoral reefs are particularly susceptible to climate change. Warming waters have been shown to bleach coral, killing off symbiotic algae that provide them with sustenance, and often leading to the death of the coral itself. Much attention has been placed on bleaching coral, but now scientists have discovered an additional danger to coral reefs in a warming world: erosion.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31182008-07-22T14:30:00Z2013-07-06T19:24:34ZCoral susceptibility to bleaching due to small differences in symbiotic relationshipCoral reefs are now considered the second most threatened group of animals in the world, with nearly one-third of corals listed as endangered (amphibians retain the dubious honor of being number one). Although corals face many threats, the greatest is bleaching caused by warming oceans due to climate change. However, some coral populations are more susceptible to bleaching than others, even including corals of the same species. New research has uncovered that the reason lies in small differences in the symbiotic relationship between corals and their symbionts, small marine animals and protozoa. Such differences, however minuscule, have a huge impact on the likelihood of a coral's ability to survive warming oceans.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31492008-07-10T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:41ZThe global rich are eating the poor's fish: new report shows tropical fish catch gravely under-estimatedAfter a week of bad news regarding marine life &#8212; it was reported that half of U.S. coral reefs are in fair to poor condition and one-third of all coral species are threatened globally &#8212; there is still more: a study of twenty tropical islands showed that recreational and subsistence fishing has gone almost completely unreported from 1950 to 2004. In fifteen of twenty cases the fish take was at least doubled when local fish catches were added, and in the most extreme case, American Samoa, the amount of fish collected was 17 times what was previously recorded.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31512008-07-10T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:42Z1/3 of corals face extinctionNearly one-third of reef-building corals are vulnerable to extinction, according to an assessment of 845 species of coral. Rising temperatures, increased incidence of disease, and human disturbance are driving the trend.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31572008-07-07T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:43ZGood news for reefs: giant coral structure found off BrazilAmid a series of dire reports on the status of coral reefs, scientists announced the discovery of a reef off the southern coast of Brazil's Bahia state that doubles the size of the Southern Atlantic Ocean's largest and richest reef system, the Abrolhos Bank.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/31592008-07-07T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:14:43ZU.S. coral reefs in troubleNearly half of U.S. coral reefs are in "poor" or "fair" condition according to a new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/28222008-03-13T14:30:39Z2008-12-29T06:48:27ZFast-growing coral may help reefs survive global warmingTwo fast-growing coral species may hold the key to Caribbean reefs surviving global warming, report researchers writing in the journal Science.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/25932008-01-31T14:30:39Z2008-12-16T10:12:59ZSunscreen damages coral reefsSunscreen can damage reefs by worsening viral infections in symbiotic algae that provide corals with sustenance, reports Nature NewsRhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/25312007-12-13T14:30:39Z2008-12-29T06:47:25ZGlobal warming will degrade 98% of coral reefs by 2050Ocean acidification caused by human-induced carbon dioxide emissions could dramatically alter the planet's coral reefs and marine food chains, warns research published in the December 14 issue of Science and presented at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco.Rhett Butlertag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/24782007-11-13T14:30:39Z2008-12-29T06:47:14ZGlobal warming is melting soft coralsSoft corals are "simply melting and wasting away" due to global warming-induced environmental stress says Dr. Hudi Benayahu, head of Tel Aviv University's Porter School of Environmental Studies.Rhett Butler